Flush tank valve guide



July 5, 1955 c. R. BOYCE 2,712,135

FLUSH TANK VALVE GUIDE Filed Sept. 21, 1955 INVENTOR 12.50 gee W X. A ORNEY United States Patent FLUSH VALVE Carrol R. Boyce, Wautoma, Wis.

Application Sep'temberZl, 1953,, serial bio. 381,211

4 Claims. (Cl.4----57.9

This invention relates to'an improved rgui'de for 'il-us'h tank valves and has lfor its primary object to provide an improved guide element which is engaged'iboth by "the connecting link or lift wire and by the valve :stem to prevent any out of line orside pull-of the connecting link being transmitted to the valve stem.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved guide means for flush tank valves which will permit independent movement of theva'lve and valve stem relatively to the lift wire or connecting'linkgto insure a straight .line movement of the valve back to a,;closed position.

Still a further object of the invention ;is to provide an improved guide means forming a connection between the connecting link or lift wire and the valve stem only during the lifting of the valve and valve stem and whereby the connecting link or lift wire is disengaged from and out of contact with the valve stem during downward movement of the valve and valve stem, back to a closed position of the valve, so that any lateral movement of the connecting link will not affect the return of the valve to a closed position thus eliminating the possibility of a binding engagement between the valve stem and lift wire.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a portion of a conventional flush tank mechanism showing the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, for the purpose of illustrating a preferred application and use of the invention, hereinafter to be described, a portion of a conventional flush tank 5 is illustrated in Figure 1 in an opening in a bottom 6 of which is secured the conventional outlet pipe 7 by the usual liquid tight connection. A valve seat 8 is connected to the upper end of the outlet pipe 7 and is disposed within the tank 5. Said valve seat 8 constitutes a casting having the usual lateral extension 9 for receiving the usual overflow pipe 10 which extends upwardly therefrom. The casting 9 provides a passage between the lower end of the pipe 10 and the outlet pipe 7, as is conventional. A conventional flush valve 11 seats in the upwardly opening valve seat 8 and has a valve stem 12 extending upwardly therefrom and which is detachably connected thereto in a conventional manner, as by a threaded connection, not shown. A conventional valve guide 13 is detachably and adjustably clamped to and supported on the overflow pipe 10 and has one or a plurality of guide bores 14 disposed in axial alignment with the valve seat 8 and '2 through which the valve stem 12 "slidably extends for slidably guiding the valve '11 and stem '12 in their movements toward and away from the valve'se'at 8.

The usual connecting link or lift wire 15 is provided having "a right angularly turned lower end portion termina't'ing '--in an "eye '16 which is disposed in a plane substantially at a'rightang'le to the axis of-the link 15. The upper end of the connecting link 15, not shown, is pivotally or swingably connected in a conventional manner to a free end portion of a pivotally mounted operating lever, not shown. The valve stem 12 normally extends through the eye 16 above the guide 13 and terminates 'thereabove in an outwardly bent portion or eye to form a stop under which the eye 16 can engage for causing the valve stem 12 and valve 11 to be lifted with the connecting link 15 when the latter is raised and after the eye 16 hascontacted the stop portion of the valve stem.

However, as a part of the present invention the stem '12 is provided with a substantially right angul'arly bent upper end portion located above .the guide 13 terminating in'an eye -17 the plane of which is disposed at substantially a right angle to the axis of the stem 12. in addition to the eye "17, the invention comprises a guide rod 18 having a threaded lower end 19 which threadedly fits an upwardly opening threaded bore or recess 20 formed in the guide 13 inwardly of and substantially parallel to the guide b'ore or bores -14. Accordingly, the guide rod 1 8 is detachably connected to the guide 13 -'eXtend-s upwardly therefrom substantially parallel to the bores 14.

In assembling the parts, the eye 16 may be first passed downwardly over the guide rod 18 from its upper end, after which the valve stem 12 may be inserted downwardly through the guide bores 14 and its eye 17 slid downwardly over the guide rod 18, after which the valve 11 may be screwed onto the lower end of the stem 12. Also, the parts may be disposed as illustrated in Figure l with the exception of the guide rod 18, after which said guide rod may be inserted downwardly through the eyes 17 and 16 and its lower end 19 then threaded into the bore or recess 20.

As seen in Figures 2 and 3, the openings of the eyes 17 and 16 are substantially larger in diameter than the guide rod 18 so that said eyes have a loose fitting engagement on the guide rod. When the valve 11 is in a closed x position and the connecting link 15 is in a lower position as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, its eye 16 is disposed beneath and out of contact with the eye 17, When the connecting link or lift wire 15 is lifted in a conventional manner, after a slight upward movement thereof its eye 16 engages under the eye 17 for lifting the valve stem 12 and valve 11 with the connecting link 15 to a raised open position of the valve 11. Any lateral movement of the lower end of the connecting link 15 during this upward travel will not be transmitted to the valve stem 12 as the eye 16 thereof may slide relatively to the eye 17 to the extent permitted by the guide rod 18. However, and more important, after the valve and valve stem have thus been lifted and before the valve 11 moves downwardly and back to a closed position, the connecting link 15 is released and permitted to return downwardly to its position of Figures 1 and 2 and while the valve and valve stem are still in raised positions so that the eye 17 is disposed substantially above its position of Figures 1 and 2.

Consequently, as the valve and valve stem thereafter move downwardly to the closed position of the valve 11 as seen in Figure 1, the connecting link 15 will in no way affect the downward sliding movement of the valve and valve stem as the valve stem 12 will be completely out of contact with the link 15 during its downward travel and the guide rod 18 will assist the guide bores 14 in insuring an unimpeded straight line movement of the valve 11 back to its closed position.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A flush valve guide for use with a flush tank including a valve seat, an overflow pipe extending upwardly from and laterally ofiset relatively to the valve seat, and a guide secured to and supported by the overflow pipe above the valve seat, comprising a flush valve normally seating in the valve seat, a valve stem secured to and extending upwardly from the flush valve slidably through said guide, said stem having an upper end terminating in a laterally offset eye disposed above the guide, a connecting link having a lower end terminating in a laterally ofiset eye disposed beneath the valve stem eye and above the valve stem guide, and a guide rod fixed to and extending upwardly from the valve stem guide loosely through said connecting link eye and the valve stem eye for causing the connecting link eye to engage under the valve stem eye for lifting the valve stem and valve when the connecting link is raised.

2. A flush valve guide as in claim 1, said guide rod being detachably mounted in the valve stem guide and supported thereby substantially parallel to the valve stem for cooperation with the valve stem guide in guiding the valve stem and valve in their movements toward andaway from the valve seat.

3. A flush valve guide as in claim 1, said eyes having loose fitting engagement around the guide rod, the planes of said eyes being disposed substantially parallel to one another and at substantially a right angle to the axes of the valve stem and connecting link, and said connecting link eye being normally disposed beneath and out of contact with the valve stem eye.

4. In combination with a flush tank valve seat, an overflow pipe extending upwardly from one side of the valve seat, a guide secured to the overflow pipe and disposed above thevalve seat, a valve normally seating in and closing the valve seat, and a stem fixed to and extend ing upwardly from the valve slidably through the guide, said valve stem having a laterally offset eye at its upper end disposed above the guide, a connecting link having a laterally olfset eye at its" lower end disposed beneath the valve stem eye and above the guide, said eyes being disposed in planes substantially at right angles to the axes of the valve stem and connecting link, and a guide rod fixed to and extending upwardly from the guide loosely through said eyes of the connecting link and valve Stem for guiding the valve stem in its sliding movement through the guide and for guiding the connecting link eye in its movement toward and away from the valve stem guide and for maintaining said connecting link eye beneath the valve stem eye.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 944,098 Mahurin Dec. 21, 1909 2,440,389 Anderson Apr. 27, 1948 2,644,951 Rand July 14, 1953 

